Registering a company takes about fifteen minutes. Setting one up so that it is organised, compliant and actually usable takes rather longer — and the choices made in the first fortnight tend to be the ones people live with for years.
Work through the decisions before you touch the registration form.
Before you register
- Sole trader or limited company? A limited company is a separate legal entity with limited liability, its own tax treatment, and public filing obligations a sole trader does not have. Neither is automatically right.
- Company name — check it is available on the Companies House register, check the domain, and check nobody holds a trade mark on it
- Registered office address — this appears on the public register. Your home address will be public if you use it.
- Who the directors and shareholders are, and how shares are split. Splitting equity casually is the single most expensive mistake at this stage.
- SIC code — the classification for what the business does
What Companies House asks for
Have these ready and registration is straightforward:
- Company name and registered office address
- Director details: name, date of birth, nationality, service address
- Shareholder details and the share structure
- Details of anyone with significant control (usually 25%+ of shares or voting rights)
- Three pieces of personal information for identity verification
- Articles of association — the model articles suit most new companies
- The registration fee
Straight after incorporation
- Save the certificate of incorporation and company number somewhere you will find them again
- Register for Corporation Tax with HMRC — there is a deadline from the date you start trading
- Consider whether VAT registration applies, or will soon
- Set up PAYE if you will pay yourself or anyone else a salary
Business banking
Applications are refused far more often than people expect, usually for avoidable reasons.
- Certificate of incorporation
- Proof of identity and address for every director
- Your registered office address, matching the register exactly
- A clear description of what the business does and where money will come from
- Expected monthly turnover
Keep business and personal money genuinely separate from the first transaction. Untangling them later is tedious and expensive.
Records from day one
- Bookkeeping in place before the first invoice, not after
- A system for keeping receipts — the requirement is six years
- An invoice template with your company number on it
- A record of anything you pay for personally on the company's behalf
Dates for the calendar
Put these in as soon as you have them. Late filing penalties are automatic and they escalate.
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Confirmation statement | Annually, from the incorporation date |
| Annual accounts | Nine months after your accounting reference date |
| Corporation Tax return | Twelve months after the end of the accounting period |
| Corporation Tax payment | Nine months and one day after the period ends |
Note that the payment is due before the return. It catches people out every year.
A note on what this is
This is a practical checklist, not legal, accounting or tax advice. ClaimWise is not a firm of solicitors or accountants, and some of the decisions above — share structure and tax treatment in particular — are worth taking properly qualified advice on.
If you would like help working through the setup itself, that is what our business setup support covers.